young bird just out of its mother's nest, pluming my little feathers
and taking short flights. By degrees I obtain more confidence, and
wing my course over hill and dale.

It is very difficult to throw any interest into a chapter on
childhood. There is the same uniformity in all children until they
develop. We cannot, therefore, say much relative to Jack Easy's
earliest days; he sucked and threw up his milk while the nurse blessed
it for a pretty dear, slept, and sucked again. He crowed in the
morning like a cock, screamed when he was washed, stared at the
candle, and made wry faces with the wind. Six months passed in these
innocent amusements, and then he was put into shorts. But I ought
here to have remarked, that Mrs Easy did not find herself equal to
nursing her own infant, and it was necessary to look out for a
substitute.

Now a common-place person would have been satisfied with the
recommendation of the medical man, who looks but to the one thing
needful, which is a sufficient and wholesome supply of nourishment for
the child; but Mr Easy was a philosopher, and had latterly taken to
craniology, and he descanted very learnedly with the Doctor upon the
effect of his only son obtaining his nutriment from an unknown source.
"Who knows," observed Mr Easy, "but that my son may not imbibe with
his milk the very worst passions of human nature."

"I have examined her," replied the Doctor, "and can safely recommend
her."

"That examination is only preliminary to one more important," replied
Mr Easy. "I must examine her."